PAVEMENTS: A NEW LOOK AT OLD PROBLEMS.

In recent years, the emphasis at the Federal and State levels has shifted from construction on new location to preserving existing highways and bridges. Another major factor is the aging of our highways, which are designed typically, to handle the expected traffic over 20 years. Approximately 25 per cent of the highways in the Interstate System are now more than 20 years old. Wear and tear due to increasing weight and number of trucks, weather, deicing salts, reduced or deferred maintenance, poor materials, etc. , has begun to show. Our other highways and bridges are also showing the signs of age.